University of Washington Apologizes for Body-Shaming Cheerleader Poster
The University of Washington has come under fire for a poster that advertises tryouts for its cheerleader squad.
The image, shared above, has been taken off the school’s Facebook page after an understandable uproar broke out regarding its rundown of “do’s and don’ts.”
EXAMPLE: those hoping to cheer for the Huskies SHOULD be “physically fit” and appear to have some kind of “tan.”
They should NOT have "distracting nail polish" or wear their hair in a ponytail.
As you might expect, Twitter and Facebook users called out the cheerleading team for requiring such superficial attributes in their prospective members.
Critics are saying the poster encourages body shaming and prioritizes appearance over ability.
The poster also asks that potential squad members wear only a sports bra and mid-rise black shorts, while ordering them not to don any tops "that cover the midriff" and/or high-waisted shorts.
In a statement, the University of Washington athletic department said they told the squad to take down the material due to its clearly offensive nature.
"In response to a high volume of student questions about cheer and dance team tryouts, a member of the UW spirit leadership team created a graphic aimed at providing interested students information in preparation for the tryouts," the university told People via statement.
It added:
"The graphic was removed immediately, after a UW athletic department official saw it and determined that some of the details and descriptions provided were inconsistent with the values of the UW spirit program and department of athletics.
"Athletic department officials have reinforced the values of the programs to UW spirit leadership, and look forward to an equitable and diverse tryout process for interested students."
Earlier this year, Louisiana State University and Washington State University shared similar types of posters in promotion of their cheerleading team.
We’ve given you a look at the latter’s above.
In this day and age, we have to ask:
How is cheerleading still a thing?!?
Take away the flipping and the tumbling and all that, which is really more gymnastics than cheerleading… how do we still encourage women these days to stand on the sideline of a sporting event and mindlessly cheer on the men playing?
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